The 49ers defense is coming off a dominant Week 5 performance where they allowed a season-low three points and 180 total yards. The Los Angeles Rams offense will present a different challenge. They feature weapons such as wide receivers Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp, and Robert Woods, and are led by quarterback Jared Goff. This should be a tougher battle for the 49ers’ defense.
Here are the six players to watch on defense when the 49ers take on the Rams on Sunday:
DE Nick Bosa
Monday night was Bosa’s breakout game. He had two sacks, five QB hits, three tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Sunday will be his chance to follow it up with another solid performance. The Rams’ offensive line has been good at protecting Goff, who’s only taken eight sacks. Bosa will go against Andrew Whitworth, an experienced, All-Pro left tackle who hasn’t allowed a sack this season.
DE Dee Ford
Both pass rushers will need to play well Sunday. While the offensive line has kept Goff upright, the quarterback has been prone to turning the ball over. Goff has thrown seven interceptions and fumbled four times. Keeping pressure on Goff could force him to make mistakes into a secondary that has excelled at takeaways. Ford’s ability to get off the edge quickly could directly force Goff into some poor decisions.
CB K’Waun Williams
Williams is having a good start to his season with a career-best two interceptions through four games. He’s dealt with some tough matchups already this season dealing with the likes of Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr. and Juju Smith-Schuster. Sunday he deals with another tough matchup in the slot against Kupp and Cooks. Williams has quietly been one of the better players on the 49ers defense and will need to continue to play well against a versatile Rams receiving corps.
CB Richard Sherman
In addition to Kupp, the Rams will line up Cooks and Woods on the outside. Sherman will be responsible for keeping the left side of the defense under control. The Browns had some success testing the veteran with the speedy Jarvis Landry in Week 5, but Sherman played well overall and had an interception. Don’t be surprised if the Rams try and match up some of their speed against Sherman to try and soften the left side of the secondary.
FS Jimmie Ward
Ward had a productive season debut against Cleveland and helped the defense prevent big plays with a couple of nice tackles on the back end. With Ward back in the secondary against a Rams offense that features so many weapons for Goff, look for the safety to make more plays in coverage Sunday.
LB Kwon Alexander
With Rams running back Todd Gurley likely out, Alexander’s job on Sunday could be slightly easier. The linebacker is coming off a season-low two tackles in Week 5, but he did help clean up a sack on a blitz early in the game. Alexander will need to be stout in the run game since Gurley has two talented backups in Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson. However, he’ll need to be excellent in coverage and tackling in the short passing game to limit big plays off quick throws.
